2L of wort for Speise as I always try to keep with traditional methods and carbonate naturally.
Equinox. Sunny day. Free electricity. Decoction mash.
Märzen time!
The equinox is on our doorstep. Tomorrow I brew Märzen. And this year I think I will brew it again at the next equinox when I also drink this one. Alternating Märzen to always celebrate the equinox
* note to readers - I always brew extra to have a small keg to sample early as a Kellerbier but “that doesn’t count”. With whiskey there is the angel’s share. For beer there is “my share”
While #Oktoberfest in Munich is over, many breweries are still celebrating all month long and many Oktoberfest beers are currently available. My recent article for the local paper covers the two beer styles associated with the festival, #Märzen and #Festbier, with examples from #WildRideBrewing and #SunriverBrewing.
More: https://www.thebrewsite.com/recent-print-article-the-styles-of-oktoberfest/
Brewed last equinox to drink on this equinox. This is the way of Märzen. Let Oktoberfest begin.
Prost!
Before I get into pumpkin beers, time to celebrate Oktoberfest, starting with this classic from Great Lakes, a smooth and easy to drink Marzen with a hint of malt body.
#2024 #2024Goals #2024WinkingLizardWorldTourOfBeers #beer #FermentedFriday #GreatLakesBrewingCompany #Marzen #Oktoberfest #WinkingLizard #WorldTourOfBeers
Just tapped the Märzen I brewed in January. Now lagered 100 days. This is the one that had acetaldehyde when it was still young. Now an ever so slight touch of sulfur, a pleasant sulfur like a match head. WLP835 - Andechs.
Turned out quite nice and being in the southern hemisphere this is a nice time of year to enjoy Märzen and my Maibock in the cooler weather.
Mash out/Vorlauf after four decoctions (yes, the strange recipe from Dan Gordon has four decoctions). Beautiful color
Equinox Märzen underway. Just a few days late due to kids’ school activities schedules.
Dan Gordon of Gordon-Biersch recipe again.
Next brew in a few weeks will be the Vienna Lager recipe from @akrennmair again. That was sublime and I need another keg of it.
30 days lagered and another sample. The acetaldehyde is gone (or very very faint). Now another 60 days, but at least I know I don’t have to worry about acetaldehyde. Patience patience.
Next week Wednesday, on the Equinox, I’m going to brew a Märzen to drink at the next Equinox. I love the symmetry
Had a sample of my latest Märzen after only 15 days of lagering. Shouldn’t have done that. It is going to lager for at least 90 days and it needs it. Can taste acetaldehyde. The wee yeasties will clean that up over time and it’ll be interesting to take a sample at maybe 42 days to see how it is going. Until then I will leave them to it.
I had intended to brew this in September and lager until March (since I’m in the Southern hemisphere) but I had a lull in my brewing.
Brewing a Märzen today on my new Grainfather G40. This is a serious step up from the G30. Getting close to 85% efficiency so need to keep tweaking the profile in Brewfather otherwise I’m going to have a lot of strong beer.
This is Dan Gordon’s (Gordon Biersch) recipe but I’ve upped the IBU to 26. I do like malty beers but they still need enough hops. Hallertau in this case.
Past the official dates of Oktoberfest but I finally poured myself of full Maß of my Märzen - that I actually brewed in March.
It’s my favorite time of year!
#beer #marzen #oktoberfest #spaten #zeroGravity